Re: once more into the breeches...
J J R (jrovira@juno.com)
Thu, 26 Nov 1998 08:39:51 -0500 (EST)
eh, what's the difference between meaning and transfer of thought? Don't
you see you're still begging the question? :) You've defined all
legitimate interpretation --ahead of time--as those interpretations which
are coextensive with the author's intended meaning. No more, no less,
that's it.
The fact that you're arguing from that point of view doesn't mean you're
sustaining or legitimizing that point of view.
Now I want to make some qualifications. I think the author's intended
meaning is usually at least one legitimate reading of a piece.
Sometimes, when the author is a very poor author, it's not a legitimate
reading of a piece. We need to take into account stupid writers just as
we do stupid readers. And I think some pieces are open to wider
interpretations than others. Eliot's Waste Land is open, I think, to a
fairly wide range of meaning, while I think the post below is open to
probably just one valid reading.
Probably. I say "probably" because Mr. Limerock will very creatively and
intelligently shoot me out of the water if I say, "definitely." :)
But I think the range of possible meanings for Scottie's post below is
pretty narrow, especially if we read it within the context of our
listserve. And I think all readings of the post below need to stay
pretty close to Scottie's probable intent. I say this because of the
type of prose employed, my faith in Scottie as a writer, and the subject
matter of the post.
Jim
On Wed, 25 Nov 1998 08:24:36 +0000 Scottie Bowman <rbowman@indigo.ie>
writes:
> The more a reader recognises some personal meaning
> in a piece of writing the less audible becomes the voice
> of the artist.
>
> One can, of course, go on talking about MEANING.
> But no significant transfer of thought is taking place.
>
> Scottie B.
>
>
>
>
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